View Full Version : Olympique Lyonnais Cafe
Allez Lyonnais
09 Aug 2005, 08:38 AM
Essien is going nowhere from now on. He's gonna sign a new contract, according to JMA.
SportBoy333
09 Aug 2005, 09:55 AM
So I guess him saying he'll never play for Lyon again could be just the media misinterpreting the facts.
lefutur
09 Aug 2005, 10:52 AM
very true but bringing in owen who has not played in the french league may put team chemistry at risk and with the whole essien situation that is the last thing lyon needs is that plus why mess with success i mean lyon is undefeated this year
I think Owen has proved himself to be quite adaptable. He started scoring goals right away at Real. Besides, isnt the REAL goal here to be tougher in Champions League. The French league title is great and all but I think theyve set their ambitions a bit higher this year. If it takes a little while to find the team chemistry it would be worth it if they come out stronger on the other side. Its about time a French side really tries to be more than just good in their own league.
Forza_Italia
09 Aug 2005, 02:31 PM
I think Owen has proved himself to be quite adaptable. He started scoring goals right away at Real. Besides, isnt the REAL goal here to be tougher in Champions League. The French league title is great and all but I think theyve set their ambitions a bit higher this year. If it takes a little while to find the team chemistry it would be worth it if they come out stronger on the other side. Its about time a French side really tries to be more than just good in their own league.
yes owen is adaptable but what i am saying is owen may not fit with lyon like diego forlan or kleberson with man u or mutu with chelsea plus who says lyon isnt good enough to win the CL i mean look lyon smoked the competition but was eliminated by PSV eindhoven who played very well in the semis vs AC milan and if you ask me should have advanced to the finals (and im not just saying that because im a juve fan) plus lyon have adressed their offense with the addition of carew and if essien shuts up and plays before he kills his reputation lyon would have arguably one of the strongest and most deep midfields in europe and could be poised for a CL win and league 1 title #5 straight
SportBoy333
10 Aug 2005, 03:09 AM
Baros is stupid for not choosing Lyon. He seems to be more intersted in Monaco or Aston Villa.
guignol
10 Aug 2005, 03:40 AM
So I guess him saying he'll never play for Lyon again could be just the media misinterpreting the facts.i read somewhere that essien has denied saying (in so many words) that he would refuse to play for the A squad.
guignol
10 Aug 2005, 04:00 AM
yes owen is adaptable but what i am saying is owen may not fit with lyon like diego forlan or kleberson with man u or mutu with chelsea plus who says lyon isnt good enough to win the CL i mean look lyon smoked the competition but was eliminated by PSV eindhoven who played very well in the semis vs AC milan and if you ask me should have advanced to the finals (and im not just saying that because im a juve fan) plus lyon have adressed their offense with the addition of carew and if essien shuts up and plays before he kills his reputation lyon would have arguably one of the strongest and most deep midfields in europe and could be poised for a CL win and league 1 title #5 straighta juve fan is almost like a neighbor... on my street there's an old people's club called la casa degli italiani, and they organize buses to the stadio delle alpi for big matches.
owen would be a fine addition to the club. he has a reputation as someone who needs the ball at his feet, but i've seen him score some fast breakaway goals so he could fit in nicely at OL. but even if his salary wasn't a problem, it's clear he would never come to OL (just like trezeguet, thomasson, even baros). betis seville or boro are still more prestigious than playing in france unfortunately.
besides, we already have an owen type striker (nilmar), what we needed (and what would have got us past PSV) was a carew type striker. with him, not even nielsen can stop us!
Looper121
10 Aug 2005, 10:17 AM
Well, I guess it's not a bad payoff: ESSIEN GONE...for the most part...
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=338627&cc=5901
Allez Lyonnais
10 Aug 2005, 11:04 PM
Well, I guess it's not a bad payoff: ESSIEN GONE...for the most part...
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=338627&cc=5901
I don't think JMA changed his mind.. He actually denied the reports.
If that secret meeting was held in France, French presses should've reported it first. But it is THE SUN that claimed the agreement was found.
guignol
11 Aug 2005, 02:37 AM
and they printed it with an archive photo of JMA & RA at a G14 meeting, right next to an article claiming the sun had personally defeated a purported EU regulation to forbid british barmaids from showing any cleavage...
navrant...
SportBoy333
11 Aug 2005, 09:52 AM
I know Houllier prefers the 4-4-2 but the best lineup for this team really is the 4-5-1 if you think about it. Thats what Le Guen used a lot. When Wiltord came off vs Strasbourg they brought in Juninho and that right there is what the future starting lineup should be. One forward in Carew and 5 midfielders Juninho, Govou, Moulouda, Diarra, and Pedretti. If Essien comes back then he starts and one of those guys goes to the bench. a 4-4-2 is not the best lineup for this team based on the personal that they have. If you do that then you leave out 2 of your best players from the lineup and I'd rather have Wiltord out. Pedretti will go to the bench I think if Essien ever comes back. Now if they sign a quality forward like Baros or Owen then it would be best if they went to the 4-4-2 but 4-5-1 is the best formation based on what they have right NOW.
guignol
11 Aug 2005, 11:18 AM
I know Houllier prefers the 4-4-2 but the best lineup for this team really is the 4-5-1 if you think about it. Thats what Le Guen used a lot. When Wiltord came off vs Strasbourg they brought in Juninho and that right there is what the future starting lineup should be. One forward in Carew and 5 midfielders Juninho, Govou, Moulouda, Diarra, and Pedretti. If Essien comes back then he starts and one of those guys goes to the bench. a 4-4-2 is not the best lineup for this team based on the personal that they have. If you do that then you leave out 2 of your best players from the lineup and I'd rather have Wiltord out. Pedretti will go to the bench I think if Essien ever comes back. Now if they sign a quality forward like Baros or Owen then it would be best if they went to the 4-4-2 but 4-5-1 is the best formation based on what they have right NOW.i'm glad you've started this discussion. i was going to as soon as the essien situation was clear but now that seems never.
mind you, when you say 4-5-1 with OL it's really a 4-3-3, and a 4-4-2 really works out as a 4-2-4. (unless you want to say 4-3-2-1 and 4-2-2-2 :eek: )
last year's 4-5-1 was about the steadiest OL's lineup has been through a whole season, but PLG in preceding years had fielded a lot of 4-4-2 lineups, (even some 3-5-2 when edmilson was off his game or cacapa injured), with anderson and vairelles, with elber and luyindula... 2 strikers are almost an OL tradition and going with a lone frontman last year raised some eyebrows at first. but it was definitely the best lineup with three guys like essien, diarra and juninho.
it's a little early to tell just what GH is going to do really. the 4-4-2's we've seen can be explained several ways: essien not there, juninho not ready... i also think he wants to give nino every chance to make good early in the season and not be automatically eclipsed by carew. if in a few weeks carew has 7 goals (counting trophée des champions) and wiltord 1 or 2, then his decision to go with the lineup you give above will be unquestionable. and if carew has 6 and nino 5, then he'll probably keep two strikers, and so would anyone! in which case you play two from malouda, govou, pedretti according to opponent, tactics and individual form.
more likely is that wiltord won't score all those goals, in which case the team looks mostly like what you say above.
and if essien does come back and plays like he means it, he replaces pedretti and you have last year's lineup plus carew.
i'd still count on seeing a lot of wiltord, giving either carew or govou a rest. he had a few goals last season, but some big assists too, and his contribution didn't stop there. he has the most impressive legs on the team, and a heart to match. along with cacapa, cris, diarra and juninho, he runs the team. to look any of those guys in the eye you have to give everything, every match.
SportBoy333
11 Aug 2005, 11:36 AM
and if essien does come back and plays like he means it, he replaces pedretti and you have last year's lineup plus carew.
Yeah that would be the formation I would go with if he comes back. Pedretti wasnt signed to be a starter he was signed as cover or insurance in case someone left the team. I still say that if another top quality forward is signed before the end of the month they must go to the 4-4-2 but I think if Essien stays maybe they wont sign one because 4-4-2 someone who should start will have to sit.
guignol
12 Aug 2005, 05:16 AM
now it's juninho in the news!http://www.soccerway.com/news/2005/august/12/juninho-takes-hard-line-with-lyon
...Midfielder Juninho Pernambucano has issued a warning to the French champions not to keep him waiting for a new contract, or he may be forced to consider his future elsewhere. The Brazilian international has only twelve-months remaining on his present deal and is looking to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
“My agent (José Fuentes) should arrive next week, and I’ve already told the management that I don’t want to play this year until my contract is renewed. Either that or I leave to seek professional conditions elsewhere,” said the midfield dazzler...
this is both more and less serious than the essien affair. juninho is much more important to OL than essien, but i'm confident a deal will be reached, the two sides have been close to agreement for a long time.
the only thing new is that until now juni has let it be known that with no extension before aug 31 he would not negotiate during the season and would thus leave on a free next year. now he keeps the same deadline for a deal but says he wants to leave now if none is reached.
in view of aulas' repeated position on keeping the team together, the importance and popularity of juninho, and the relatively small amount (compared to the essien affair) of money it will take to conclude this, i would be much surprised and dismayed to see this end badly.
i have found this newsbrief, which, although older, sums up the situation much better.http://skysports.planetfootball.com/list.asp?hlid=297140&CPID=24&CLID=143&lid=&title=Juninho+yet+to+sign+on&channel=france
SportBoy333
12 Aug 2005, 02:33 PM
Juninho will stay. He must stay. This is off topic but I saw John Dahl Tomasson playing for Stuttgart last week and I couldnt believe this guy would rather play for Stuttgart. He turned down Lyon if you remember.
SportBoy333
12 Aug 2005, 04:08 PM
Ok Baros is officially an idoit. Lyon have apparently made the highest bid of any club for him(11 million Euros) but it says he'd rather stay in England and play for Everton or Aston Villa. I dont get this guy at all :-(
http://news.maxifoot.com
Lyon: objective Milan Baros (12/08)
In spite of the beautiful success of his new recruit John Carrew, the Olympic Lyonese always seems with the search for an offensive reinforcement. Indeed, the victories vis-a-vis with the modest teams of Mans and Strasbourg (with only one small goal of variation), do not make it possible the quadruple champion of France to approach this springtide with serenity. To shoulder Carrew, Lyon persists in on the track of the Czech attacker Milan Baros. The best striker of the euro 2004 is not titular any more in Liverpool, and it seriously plans to leave the reds. But if, according to information's of the team, Lyon is the club which proposed the most interesting offer with the leaders of Liverpool (11 million euros), Baros apparently wishes to remain in first league. Everton, and especially Aston Villa, are thus in better position than the OL. (By Yann Jegodtka)
ilv2
12 Aug 2005, 04:15 PM
money...
SportBoy333
12 Aug 2005, 04:22 PM
Lyon are offering more than Villa and Everton are so Liverpool will be forced to accept OL's offer and he'll be forced to go there.
lefutur
12 Aug 2005, 04:48 PM
I hope they get him. I want to Lyon decimating defences all over europe.
ilv2
12 Aug 2005, 05:11 PM
Lyon are offering more than Villa and Everton are so Liverpool will be forced to accept OL's offer and he'll be forced to go there.
I mean money as in wages. Baros himself wants the move to another premier league club for a higher $/week amount. With the tax situation with Ligue 1 clubs, perhaps Lyon aren't giving him as good (eg profitable) a contract as Villa
At least that's my feeling.